Crewe's missile to join Santa Pod strip club

It's as far a cry from the fate of most Silver Shadows as can be imagined. Most of these perpetual favourites on the wedding circuit eventually turn up on the provincial auction scene looking slightly worse for wear and with a glovebox full ribbons. Matt Wright's Shadow could have followed suit, but instead is setting 7.94 secs quarter miles on the dragstrips (that's a 175mph terminal speed).

This incredible Rolls-Royce will be the star of Santa Pod's Flame and Thunder meet on 29 October alongside a host of race and stunt cars. The 1974 gentleman's express has received a a 588cu in Chevy V8 bringing it close to 10 litres in capacity and making it two seconds quicker over the distance than a Bugatti Super Sports!

Prepared by WG Racing, it has a bespoke Chrome-Moly twin-tube chassis, suspension and braking system and weighs in way under the mammoth 4775lb of a stock Silver Shadow.